A study on the elements of body feature based on the classification of social robots

Abstract

The objectives of this study are to examine the appropriate body features for four types of social robots and to explore how the elements of body feature affect subjects’ impressions of the robot. Five body feature elements were deduced from a literature review and a preliminary survey. Based on the extracted body feature elements, various robot samples were implemented with a robot kit. In an experiment, participants evaluated each robot on the appropriateness of the robot for the four types of social robots and their impressions of the robot. The evaluation results provided the appropriate elements of body feature with the proper number of each element for each type of social robot and explained how the body feature elements affect the impressions made on people by the robot. An anthropomorphic robot with one head, two arms and legs and a body was familiar and enjoyable such that it was suitable for intimate interactions with humans. A zoomorphic robot was distinctive with one tail and four legs, which made the robot more pleasant and interesting. A caricatured robot was composed of diverse body feature elements in order to reveal an unrealistic or cartoon-like image. A functional robot had no head or arms; instead, it effectively utilized a screen to supply various services.